Posted by pillaging of tax dollars continues
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 26, 2012 at 11:38 am

2011 compensation for Chief Price: $435,422. That's quite a leap from the $208,000 mentioned in this article. Here is the link: Web Link

If you scroll across the letters at the top of the columns you will see a description of what each column represents. "ER" represents taxpayer contributions to the employee's pension plan. In 2011 taxpayers contributed $149,475 to the Chiefs retirement plan. It appears that for every dollar of Base Salary earned taxpayers are paying an additional 75 cents plus toward pensions.

"MDV" represents the cost of health care: medical, dental, vision. The CalPERS Cadillac health care plan, for a family, was about $17,000 per year in 2011. The San Ramon Fire Protection District must offer the "Bentley" plan that comes with concierge services (including front of line privileges for all doctor visits). Many in this department are receiving medical benefits in excess of 30K annually.

Some employees are earning more in overtime pay than regular base pay. This has much to do with very generous OT policies that expand the traditional definition of what OT actually represents. See employees earning more OT than salary: Web Link

While I'm not sure who is charged with watching the store it appears that the tax dollars are going out the back door. These compensation numbers are ludicrous.

hmmmmmmm...I've always been under the impression that more folks are concerned about the freebies given to non-US citizens living in the USA than what a public employees earns annually...hmmmmmmm...seems to me that many voters and tax paying citizens have been out-slicked by their elected and non-elected officials? How did this happen?

Posted by Libertarian Capitalist
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 26, 2012 at 1:22 pm

Yeah, I really liked the part about Price volunteering at no salary for a full year in order to facilitate all the theft. These firefighters (shiftless bums) make so many millions, then they volunteer at no pay, get hurt and then sue us for all we're worth. Its a real travesty. It doesn't happen in the private sector because expectations are that everyone is in it for themselves. Oil execs, hedge fund managers, corp CEO's, I apologize deeply for not listening to you. It's the volunteer fire chiefs who are draining this economy.

Posted by Bloated gov. organization
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 26, 2012 at 9:59 pm

The point is yaxpayers are paying exorbinant amounts of their tax dollars to fund exorbinant pension plans, supersized medical benefits, and excessive overtime costs even when many of those hours aren't actually overtime. The San Ramon Fire District appears to be just another out of control special district with little oversight. How else do you explain the insane cost for healthcare (over 30k for a family - an outlier for sure) and the absolutely absurd cost of pension benefits (75% of salary). How does that compare to a 401k plan with a 3% match and no guarantee of a 7.75% return?

The SRVFPD has a budget of something like 53 million for 10 stations and is still over spending. No bang for the tax buck coming from this bloated organization.

Posted by bloated gov.org
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 26, 2012 at 11:31 pm

"Family links complicate race for San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District Board Three linked by blood or marriage to union members"

And...

Also running are Alameda County Fire Captain Gordon Dakin, a Danville resident; veterinarian H. Jay Kerr of San Ramon; Stephen Mohun, a certified public accountant who lives in Alamo and Gerardo Peniche, who works in information technology at Chevron and lives in San Ramon.

But reports say Dakin, Mohun and Peniche all have links to the Board through family: Dakin is cousin to Matt Dakin, a member of the union's executive board; Mike Mohun, president of the firefighters union, is the brother of Stephen Mohun and Peniche is related through marriage to firefighter Erick Hubbard.

All three have received the endorsement of the International Association of Firefighters Local 3546, the union that represents firefighters in the San Ramon Valley district.

Adding another level of complications, reports said, is that the Board of Directors is in negotiations with the union and that the district has been using reserves to balance its budget, with salaries and pensions making up the largest portion."

You just can make this stuff up. How many levels of collusion can you count to? How many red flags need to be waived? There is a reason these compensation packages are so far out of whack they've been hit out of the park. It's the taxpayers who will be stuck with the bill for decades to come.

Posted by Libertarian Capitalist
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 27, 2012 at 4:20 am

Is there documented evidence that shows any of the three nepotistical ones have engaged in wrongdoing? Or are we to simply brandish our torches and, evidence be damned, light them on fire until they burn to a crisp? I say, if the unsustainable exorbinancies can't be drowned out, we need to burn them. Families are bad. They don't allow for individualism.

Posted by 75% have a package of over 200K
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 28, 2012 at 4:37 pm

The above link doesn't work but I used it to get to an employee salary database. Where it says entity I used the drop down bar to highlight the "San Ramon Valley Fire Protection Dist."

It appears that about 75% of the employees are earning a compensation package of over $200,000 per year. The numbers include salary, medical benefits, and pensions. How is that these costs are this high? Something seems wrong here.

Posted by He's worth it -and more
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Dec 28, 2012 at 9:18 pm

Why would you imply the chief is not worth $435,000? In fact, he should be paid $2,000,000 a year for life in pension - that is how valuable he is. And all the lazy paramedics should be paid $1,000,000 a year - for doing nothing and complaing about it all day long. Don't you know how wonderful they are? Just ask them -or not- they will tell you and tell you and tell you how wonderful they are. In fact you tax payer slaves should pony up for a parcel tax or they are going to close all the fire stations and stop putting out fires altogether because they don't have the money to be putting out any stupid fires while paying these salaries and pensions and playing video games and shopping in the grocery store all day on company (tax payer) time. So SHUT UP SLAVE! And for all of you who imply you won't save me if I have a heart attack or put out a fire at my house you can shove it - I don't need for you do do anything for me except THE JOB YOU ARE BEING PAID TO DO - if that isn't too hard or you.

Posted by Hey Roz
a resident of another community
on Dec 28, 2012 at 9:38 pm

((Posted by San Ramon Observer, a resident of San Ramon, on Dec 27, 2012 at 10:17 am
(San Ramon Observer is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com

Thanks for posting the links to Pulse Point, Cholo. I doubt the posters here have hearts; so they don't have to worry about ever needing that service to save their selfish lives.

Roz))

I'm a quasi fan of yours but you completely miss the point with your comment. In fact I think your comment is selfish and rude. What's wrong with someone challenging excessive compensation? And if you don't think a compensation package of $450,000 per year is excessive then I'm disappointed with you.

Posted by David
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Dec 31, 2012 at 3:35 pm

Fire chiefs and fighters do a great job. But that amount of compensation for the outgoing chief is obscene. That makes him in the top 2 percent. How can anyone rationalize it.
My wife is a nurse, saves lives on a regular basis, and makes a whole lot less than that. Oh, and she cleans bed pans too and doesnt get to go to public meetings in a snappy uniform to receive fancy commendations.
When will the elected officials stand up to organized unions (legalized mafia)and start demanding reasonable salary and benefits

Posted by Brad
a resident of another community
on Jun 24, 2013 at 2:11 pm

I know one of these bums who commutes to SRFD in a county vehicle 90 miles each way on the tax payers dime. Getting $300,000-$400,000 a year salary for a battalion chief? Retiring at almost full salary? Christ, the taxpayers are complete suckers. These guys are part of a huge scam that needs to be busted apart.

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